ART Construction to Begin Late July

BY DENNIS DOMRZALSKI

Mayor Richard Berry's administration said Tuesday that construction on the $119 million Albuquerque Rapid Transit project along Central Avenue will begin in late July. The initial construction will take place in the University of New Mexico area between Girard on the east and Cedar on the west, and then in the downtown area from I-25 to 10^th Street. The initial ART line will run from Louisiana on the east to Coors on the West Side. The construction team is being led by Bradbury Stamm Construction, and the team “is planning to avoid construction in Nob Hill and Old Town during the holidays and is working closely with event planners to coordinate construction with key events,” the city said in a news release. Whether that construction actually begins will be up to a federal court judge. There are two lawsuits that are seeking to stop ART and there is expected to be a hearing on a preliminary junction to halt ART in July. “The construction team has worked diligently for the past two months to put together an efficient construction pan that will minimize disruption to businesses and residents,” Berry said. The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority angered ART opponents earlier this month when it began work to relocate water lines along the ART route. ART opponents said it was an attempt by Berry's administration to start the project before a judge heard arguments in the lawsuits against ART.

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